WWE Raw Review 7/28/2014: Bo and None

As the build towards SummerSlam continued, last night’s WWE RAW proved that hot shows don’t always have to be wrestling-heavy. But did well-placed promos and creative build make this a noteworthy show? Read on…

Segments:

John Cena opened up RAW with his typical “You can’t beat me!” shenanigans. He sounded all distraught that Trips & Co might actually want him to lose bad enough that they’d resort to ANY means necessary. But then he promised to be Lesnar. Huh? You can’t sell a loss one minute (“oh woe is me”) but then promise a victory the next. It doesn’t work. Heyman made a rare slip on the mic here, and Cena finally screamed loud enough that fans had to cheer just to drown him out. Decent stuff.

And boy am I glad they finally addressed the Cesaro/Heyman stuff. But why did Heyman look so uncomfortable with that hug? Remember, folks – Heyman literally asked Ryback to marry him.

I guess AJ Lee and Paige aren’t frienemies anymore? Shucks. But I’m glad to see crazy-AJ Lee back. I mean… not crazy…

Fun surprise seeing Chris Jericho heckle Triple H and Stephanie McMahon – just like old times! It helped sell Steph’s sanity, and it put Jericho where he needs to be (that is, on the mic opposite big names). It’s always fun to see WWE RAW set up matches like this. Reminds me of eras gone by.

I don’t know if I should talk about Bo Dallas and his first loss here or under the “matches” section… but it wasn’t really a match (was it?). I don’t think this spells doom-and-gloom for Dallas. I think creative just likes to get over that first loss in as painless a way as possible, so people will stop talking about. And Dallas’ reaction afterwards was the stuff dreams are made of.

Jack Swagger and Rusev are headed towards that flag match at SummerSlam. That’s all their segment on WWE Raw was for. To remind you.

Roman Reigns/Kane/Randy Orton are caught in some kind of weird “I don’t hate you, I just want to be champion” lovers triangle. Orton was intense in his beatdown of Reigns, which did more for his credibility than anything he’s been a part of since 2011. Just simmer down, dude – those veins in your head were about to burst open last night.

Closing WWE Raw with Stephanie and Brie Bella made so much sense. Who knew that 2014 Divas (and an angle involving either Bella twin) could actually be this entertaining? High drama, palpable emotion, and just enough hammy acting left me digging the interaction between these two. And Steph’s slap-heard-round-the-world was a nice touch. The match might not be pretty, but at least when these two lock-up at SummerSlam, there will be something at stake.

Matches

Ha! Wrestling on RAW?

John Cena and Cesaro showed off a little. While people might complain that Cena didn’t put Cesaro over, he gave Cesaro a great showcase of talents (even the big swing!). No, Cena did NOT outwrestle Cesaro – he simply out-booked, or out-creatived, or out-merchandise-sold him. But that’s business, folks. Sorry.

Then, in the single greatest moment in WWE Raw history, we had The Usos and The Miz in the same ring, AT THE SAME TIME. Who won? Does it matter? I just spent the whole hour giggling like a schoolgirl.

Damien Sandow… er, Neil ArmSandow (or whatever WWE called him) wrestled Adam Rose in a “don’t blink” contest. Or “blink and you’ll miss it” contest. Or “blink so you will miss it, and be thankful you did” contest. I’m really starting to warm up to Sandow as this great antagonize the fans heel, but losing every week just kills his credibility.

Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins is the kind of matchup dreams are made of. It was pretty hot, until The Wyatt Family came out and ruined everything. I wouldn’t be so down on the WWE Raw card had this match actually finished. I guess sometimes story trumps satisfaction?

Other

It’s okay to have one quick loss (win?) on WWE RAW. But two in one night hurt this show.

I wish this show had more wrestling. Really! Or, better yet, an actual clean finish. It’s okay though – the segments are building towards SummerSlam in a smart way. This feels more like ‘Mania season. And that’s not a bad thing… that’s a good thing.

About Michael A. Wiseman

Michael is a pro wrestling enthusiast, MMA fan, and all-around geek. When not blogging, he likes to catch up on TV shows or dig in to the latest tech news. You can follow him on Twitter @therealwiseman.